NEW Training service on health and hygiene in collaboration with ILO
“Developing a new competency model on ‘Health and Hygiene’ ”
(Health and Hygiene Ambassadors)
Report on EFC health and Hygiene Ambassador Training
BACKGROUND
The COVID-19 pandemic strongly reminded us that practicing effective health and hygiene measures at the workplace is essential for preventing diseases and business continuation. Just as much as labour law and industrial relations are core competency areas of EBMOs, health and safety along with hygiene will necessarily be top concerns for ALL workplaces in future, irrespective of the type of industry. EBMOs need to build on this competency, which is very much currently limited to training programmes on OSH in factory – based environments.
Based on this belief a survey was conducted by ILO ACTEMP to test the appetite of the EBMOs for a new training service offer on health and Hygiene.
A quick snap shot of the findings are below:
- All EBMOs confirmed that their members would be interested in promoting Occupational Health and Hygiene DIFFERENTLY after COVID.
- All EBMOs confirmed their interest in building capacity in one or two officials of the EBMO or from member representatives.
- All EBMOs confirmed that if ILO conducts a competency model they would nominate candidates for capacity building in Health and Hygiene.
The findings have also revealed the current status of existing services. Most of it relates to training on OSH and does NOT have a service that relates to work place visits and general guidance on Health and Hygiene.
The Training Programme
Flowing from the demand demonstrated through the findings of the survey ILO/ACTEMP conducted a competency training module for EBMOs in South Asia from 14th to 25th June 2021.
The training included on – line training as well as work – place visits and reporting.
Twenty three participants were nominated by EBMOs of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The training was conducted on – line over a period of two weeks with work place visits included. As a result of the lock downs in most countries the information on the work place check lists were obtained by participants through different means which included on line contact with operating workplaces.
The second phase of the programme included interactive technical sessions. The programme concluded by all the participants drawing up an action plan to pilot and cascade the training through their respective EBMOs.
Follow up action by EFC
Two officials from EFC were trained as h & H Ambassadors. Soon after the programme EFC planned to roll out the porgramme to its membership. A request was also made by EFC for support to translate the training material to Sinhala, so that a wider group of people could be reached in enterprises. The translations were completed by December 2021.
EFC conducted the first training programme on health and Hygiene ( in Sinhala) making use of the training and the material from 10th to 26th May 2021. Fifteen participants from manufacturing and service sectors of the membership if EFC followed the programme. The entire programme was conducted by the two Health and Hygiene Ambassadors of EFC Ms Gaya Kariyawasam and Mr Chamith Perera.
The Programme Schedule
Programme in Occupational Health & Hygiene 2022
10th, 12th, 17th, 19th, 24th, and 26th of May 2022
Date Time Module Session Trainer
10/05/2022
(Tuesday)
9.00 am – 12.00 noon
Module 1 – Industrial hygiene
Materials handling and work-station Ms. Gaya Kariyawasam – Manager – Occupational
Safety & Health at the Employers’ Federation of
Ceylon
Mr. Chamith Premaratne – Advisor – Human
Resource & Development
12/05/2022
(Thursday)
9.00 am – 12.00 noon Working environment and hazardous
chemicals
Ms. Gaya Kariyawasam – Manager – Occupational
Safety & Health at the Employers’ Federation of
Ceylon
Mr. Chamith Premaratne – Advisor – Human
Resource & Development
17/05/2022
(Tuesday)
9.00 am – 12.00 noon Module 2 – Working time and
preventive measures for COVID-
19 and other infectious
diseases
Effective management of working
time
Ms. Gaya Kariyawasam – Manager – Occupational
Safety & Health at the Employers’ Federation of
Ceylon
Mr. Chamith Premaratne – Advisor – Human
Resource & Development
19/05/2022
(Thursday)
9.00 am – 12.00 noon Preventive measures to combat
COVID-19 and other infectious
diseases
Ms. Gaya Kariyawasam – Manager – Occupational
Safety & Health at the Employers’ Federation of
Ceylon
Mr. Chamith Premaratne – Advisor – Human
Resource & Development
24/05/2022
(Tuesday)
9.00 am – 12.00 noon Module 3 – Health, well-being
and respectful workplaces
Creating respectful workplaces Ms. Gaya Kariyawasam – Manager – Occupational
Safety & Health at the Employers’ Federation of
Ceylon
Mr. Chamith Premaratne – Advisor – Human
Resource & Development
26/05/2022
(Thursday)
9.00 am – 12.00 noon Promotion of workplace health and
wellbeing
Workplace Cooperation
Implementation of Improvement
Action Plan
Ms. Gaya Kariyawasam – Manager – Occupational
Safety & Health at the Employers’ Federation of
Ceylon
Mr. Chamith Premaratne – Advisor – Human
Resource & Development
The full report of EFC regarding the training is ( Report – EFC – Occupational Health & Hygiene Prorgamme). It is very encouraging to note that the training was done face to face with much difficulty amidst the pandemic. This programme will be a regular training programme which will be added to its certificate courses in its annual Training Calendar.
Health and HygieneTraining in 2022 and 2023
With the objective of proliferating the importance of health and Hygiene in the manufacturing sector the EFC conducted two training programmes in two Export Processing Zones in Sri Lanka between December 2022 and March 2023. Technical Report – EFC – Occupational Health & Hygiene Prorgamme in FTZs.